Martes

Martes is a genus of weasel-like mammal in the subfamily Guloninae of the family Mustelidae, comprising eight recognized species called martens, distinguished by bushy tails, large paws with partially retractile claws, and fur ranging from yellowish to dark brown depending on species. Slender, agile animals adapted to life in the taiga, they inhabit coniferous and northern deciduous forest across the Northern Hemisphere and have long been valued commercially for their fur. North America is home to the American marten and Pacific marten; Eurasia holds the European pine marten, beech marten, sable, and Japanese marten, ranging from Ireland to Japan; and Asia has the yellow-throated marten, from the Himalayas to eastern Russia, and the Nilgiri marten of southern India. The genus is thought to have first evolved as much as seven million years ago in the Miocene, though DNA evidence suggests it may be paraphyletic, with some species possibly belonging to separate lineages.